OPLE CONFIRMS SWISS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION; ACTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH TREATY OBLIGATIONS

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople today confirmed that the Department had received an official request from the Swiss government for information in connection with an investigation of the possible Swiss accounts of former Justice Secretary Hernani Perez.

“We received this request last April and pursuant to our obligations under our Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the Swiss government, the Department examined the request, determined it to be sufficient in form, and forwarded it to the appropriate national agencies for action,” the Secretary said.  The Secretary added that in cases such as this, involving a treaty request, a modicum of confidentiality is exercised.

“The agencies responded to the request for information which we then forwarded to the Swiss authorities.  We have not heard from the Swiss authorities since then,” Secretary Ople added. 

“We have cooperated fully and responded quite clearly and substantially to the specific request for information that was made by Swiss authorities,” according to the Secretary.

Acknowledging that this is an issue that might possibly have partisan political aspects, the Secretary said that a request such as this one, by and of itself, does not necessarily mean that a criminal act has been committed. 

“I understand that this matter could still be under investigation by Swiss authorities and as such I prefer to refrain from further comments,” the Secretary said.  He said that he will ask the Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland to inquire as to the status of the investigation, if only for record purposes.

When asked if the Department had informed former Secretary Perez of the Swiss request and the actions taken by the Department, the Secretary said that it was not part of usual procedure for the Department itself to deal with parties other than the appropriate Philippine authorities, saying that this is a position that has been reaffirmed by the Philippine Supreme Court in the extradition case of former Representative Mark Jimenez.

The Secretary added that the Department has acceded to a request made by the Senate for the documents relating to this issue.  “As a former legislator myself, I am familiar with the need for members of Congress to be given the necessary data and information in aid of legislation.  It was in this spirit that the Department shared some of the documents with certain members of Congress,” the Secretary said. END.